NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In a morning ritual, David Andersen polishes his guitar and puts new strings on it, then summons a higher power.

"I pray every day that I can touch someone's heart," he says.

Andersen has become the friendly face of Nashville, greeting thousands of tourists every year who visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He strolls around the facility's atrium, playing his 15-year-old Epiphone wireless while chatting with visitors.

In this city of guitars and grits, Andersen is the ambassador of pickin' and grinnin'.

This summer's tourist season marks his seventh anniversary at the glistening hall of fame, where he claims to have met 1 million people. Don't believe him? He faithfully keeps a journal signed by those he's met. With annual visitors of about 500,000, the figure is possible.

"This is my lifetime dream," Andersen said recently, tears forming as he played "You Are My Sunshine." A true multitasker, he can walk, play and carry on a conversation at the same time. His nimble fingers dance along the neck of the guitar as he asks visitors where they're from, what they want to hear and even provide tidbits about the song they requested.

With his gentle manner and soft voice, he'd make a great no-pressure insurance salesman. For sure, he's a Chamber of Commerce dream. In fact, the mayor's office calls on him to perform at civic events.

On a recent day, Andersen moved about the hall of fame — cherished guitar in hand — playing whatever the visitors wanted to hear. He's taken more requests than Casey Kasem.

"The magic is in the people," he proclaims after handing out souvenir guitar picks to most of them. "I am so fortunate to meet people from all over the world and play for them."

On this day, he plays "Waltzing Matilda," explaining: "It's for the Australians here because it's their national anthem."

There also were some Canadians visiting, and Andersen noted: "They speak French better than English, but I could understand that they wanted to hear some Elvis." Always accommodating, he played "I Can't Help Falling in Love."

With teams using more than 100 unique apparatuses to launch globular projectiles a half-mile or more, the 27th annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin event is our pick as November’s Weird Festival of the Month.